I have a little something for you today that your taste buds might enjoy…

With the warm weather finally showing us a glimpse of spring, barbecuing comes to my mind. I can’t wait to get my hands on that grill! Cold summer salads are also a favorite for the season, too. Especially healthy ones. That’s where today’s recipe for black bean, corn, and wheat berry salad comes into play.

If you recall, I introduced you to the wheat berry some time last year, giving you a recipe for my perfect protein salad. This is another opportunity for you to experiment with the healthy, full-of-fiber wheat berry.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried black beans (or 1 cup canned will do the trick)

1 cup wheat berries

2 cups cooked corn niblets

2 sweet roasted red peppers, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro OR 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

salt, to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

Step one: If you’re using dry black beans, you will need to soak them in cold water for a few hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse and drain them well. Then cook until tender (about 1 1/2 hours).

Step two: Place wheat berries in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 4 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Drain well. They should be chewy, but still tender — never soft.

Here’s a tasty cold weather treat that will leave you begging for more. This apple oat coffee cake tastes great when it first comes out of the oven (or you can always heat it up again when you’re ready to have a piece later). Not only that, it is also complemented quite well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You have to start off by making the crumb topping. Simply mix 3 tablespoons margarine (or light butter), 1 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1/4 cup chopped nuts together in a small bowl. I think chopped walnuts go for the crumb topping.

After you’ve created the yummy part, you can start mixing the other ingredients together…

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup margarine (or light butter), softened

1 cup skim milk (or soy milk)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup fat free egg product or 2 egg whites

2 medium apples, chopped (2 cups)

Step one: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square baking pan and set aside.

Step two: Mix all ingredients, except for apples, together in a large bowl. You can use an electric mixer if you wish. When all is mixed well, add the apple pieces.

Step three: Spread half the batter into the pan, then sprinkle with half of the crumb topping. Repeat with the remaining half of batter, then add the last of the topping.

Step four: Bake for 45 minutes until a toothpick or clean knife inserted in center comes out clean. Then, cut into 12 pieces. If you want, you can add apple slices to the top of each piece for a lavish look. Of course, it is tastier to eat when it’s fresh out of the oven.

For all you health nuts out there, each slice is only 270 calories. It really fills you up, too. This is a great winter treat!

It’s the dead of winter. Eating comfort foods is right on this time of year. But comfort food doesn’t have to be bad for you if you know how to make healthy alternatives. Enter the blueberry almond oat muffin.

This little treat makes a delicious snack, on-the-go food, breakfast, dessert, or lunch side. It also pairs very nicely with a hearty winter bean soup.

Step 3: Scoop batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle almonds evenly over batter, pressing down gently (or you can dump the almonds right into the batter while you’re mixing all the ingredients together). Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.

*A quick note about blueberries: it’s hard to find great tasting berries this time of year. Most berries have to be shipped in from far away countries, like Chile or Venezuela, so they are often not fresh and loaded with preservatives to keep them from spoiling on the journey. As a result, a tangier taste ensues. Keep this in mind when you cook with berries during the winter.

I know I just did a post about food, but I just made the most interesting soup I think I have ever tasted. So, to follow up my post about comfort foods, here lies another post about food. (I guess this would fall in the realm of comfort food.)

Today, you will enjoy african style peanut butter soup.

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy style peanut butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 (or 2) celery stalk (s), sliced

1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 can (14.4 oz.) diced tomatoes (with their juice!!)

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup cooked brown or white rice

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken

Step 1: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, and celery. Saute until vegetables are very tender (about 10 minutes).

Step 2: Stir in the garlic and chili powder. Saute for an extra minute longer.

Step 3: Add tomatoes with their liquid, chicken or vegetable broth, and peanut butter to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often. (It might take a minute for the peanut butter to spread out.)

Step 4: Stir in the rice and the cooked chicken. Cook five minutes longer. You’re done!

This has a very unique flavor to it, but you have to like peanut butter to really enjoy it (of course.) But it’s not an overpowering peanut butter flavor. I had my doubts when I put a whole cup of the stuff into my soup, but it turned out great. After it simmers for a bit, the flavors all come together to create something wonderful.

The consistency is very creamy, and all the vegetables, chicken, and rice are deliciously coated with a nice layer of the peanut butter-broth mix.

It’ssssss recipe day! Today I’m giving you the recipe for the quickest mediterranean salad I ever made! It came out pretty good and I think after you read this recipe and look at the tantalizing picture, you’ll want to make it, too.

Step 2: Mix couscous, lemon juice and olive oil. (I did not add olive oil to mine because I had already added it according to the directions on the back of my couscous box.) Add cucumber and green onions; cover.

Step 3: Refrigerate 4 hours before serving or overnight.

Step 4: Stir in the cheese just before serving. Serve on a lettuce lined plate or as a filling for pita bread.

Yum, that last suggestion sounds really good. As of right now, I’m just eating mine in a bowl, but fancy serving techniques are quite welcomed. Might I also add that if you want to get a flavored couscous, that will bring out more flavor, too. I used roasted garlic and olive oil flavored couscous, so the olive oil was brought out quite a bit.

The thing I liked most about making this salad was that it took me no more than 15 minutes to make. The couscous cooks in 5 minutes, then just add in the time it takes to slice up your veggies and mix it all together. Enjoy!

For my next recipe, I want to encourage you to try something a little different — a little healthier, perhaps. With help from Barbara, the master of healthy cooking, I have whipped up a nice, crunchy concoction that all veggie lovers will love.

Goodness, look at those wheat berries, veggies, and tofu! Photo by Kate Langenburg.

First, let me introduce you to the wheat berry. Say it with me…wheat. berry. Good. That’s where that crunch is going to come from. Wheat berries are the truest whole grains you can find out there. Because their kernels are still together, none of the nutrients have been removed by the time you dig in. Here’s a whole wheat berry fact page.

The cool thing about this recipe is that you can follow it very loosely. There are a few staples that you must have, but other than that, the options are limitless.

MUST HAVE Ingredients:

1 cup wheat berries

1/4 to 1/3 cup cider vinegar (to taste)

1/2 cup scallions, minced

OPTIONAL Ingredients:

1 teaspoon salt*

fresh black pepper, to taste*

1/4 cup minced dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)*

1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced*

1/2 cup finely minced parsley*

1 cup cottage cheese or mashed tofu*

1 medium carrot, minced*

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced*

a little bit of minced bell pepper*

1 1/2 cups broccoli flowerets*

1 can garbanzo beans or black beans*

celery

fresh alfalfa sprouts

sliced radish

minced red onion*

See? There are so many choices. Pretty much, we’re just talking wheat berries and a ton of minced veggies here. And if you want that extra kick of protein, definitely add the tofu. (That is exactly what I did with mine. The asterisks [*] are the ingredients in the picture above.) Anyway, here’s what you do…

Step 1: Heat wheat berries in 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil and stir once or twice. Cover and simmer 50 to 60 minutes or until the wheat berries are tender, but still firm. Drain.

As promised, today I will be giving you a review of the Bethel Woods Harvest Festival and Mountain Jam. Now, if only it had been nicer weather! The entire day, it misted rain, which made things a little harder to navigate, but still great. Luckily, everything was under tents.

Well let me start by saying that Bethel Woods is such a beautiful place to go. Even if you’re not going to the Woodstock museum, you can walk the site of the original Woodstock. It’s expansive and you’ll be hiking around the hills of Yasgur’s farm for hours. By the way, the museum costs $13! (But worth every penny, I’m sure.)

It must have taken quite some time to graffiti this Bug! Photo by Kate Langenburg.

The Harvest Festival was very much like a large farmer’s and artisan market. There were displays of handcrafted quilts made by local seamstresses, an auction for some pretty neatly painted tables, and many interesting things to look at. My favorite was a painted VW Bug sitting in the middle of the field.

The tables of farmers was far more than I expected. Here’s a brief list of what was being sold that day: lettuce, cheeses, wine, peppers, apples, pumpkin, apple cider, soups, breads, squash, gourds, candies, sauces, and flowers. There were even some cool looking sugar cookies in the shapes of peace signs. How appropriate.

The farmer’s market portion of the Harvest Festival actually happens every Sunday. Here is a complete list of vendors.

Not only did the Festival have good food. It also had activities, too. There was a fun little corn maze to get lost in, which I definitely had to do. The corn was so tall I felt like I was in the jungle. There were also musician workshops and mini jam sessions for those interested.

Pumpkins, gourds, and veggies, oh my! Photo by Kate Langenburg.

The shuttle bus ran from the Harvest Festival area up to the museum. The ride along the way was great! Our groovy bus driver pointed out famous Woodstock spots, like the skinny dipping pond and the area where the original stage once was.

Thank goodness for those tents — the bluegrass bands that played needed the cover to perform. They managed to grab the attention of many festival-goers, and some even sat out in the rain to watch them play. Unfortunately, the audience seating was not under a tent, so some people were deterred from the music.

To wrap this up, I highly recommed checkout out the Farmer’s Market next Sunday. You’ll be so glad you did because of all the wonderful fruits and vegetables you’ll come home with. Also, do the museum, too. Any Woodstock fan would be highly stoked, maaaan.